How to reach 1000 users and the best productivity apps of 2013: Weekly roundup

Welcome back to The Mill, our weekly roundup of the hottest startup stories and resources to hit the web in the first week of 2014. Curated by the PAYMILL team, here’s what grabbed our attention in the past seven days.

This week in startups

The first 1000 users are easier than you think: User acquisition is at the top of every todo list for startups – after all it’s the fuel that powers your business. So how do you get from 0 to 1000 users? Ilya Pozin interviews Lob co-founder Leore Avidar to find out just what it takes to reach that milestone. Startups whose product is an API may be extremely interested in reading the interview.

2014’s Best eCommerce Events in Europe: There’s no doubt that events are a great way to connect and stay updated on the latest trends. Sadly there’s just too many of them and it can be hard knowing which ones are worth your time. Fortunately for ecommerce businesses, Userlike has compiled a list of events you should check out for 2014.

How VCs Spend Their Time. Err, How This VC Spends His Time.: The key to any successful presentation, pitch and sales call is knowing exactly who your audience is. Which always means putting yourself in the shoes of the person you’re speaking to. So if you’re looking for VC funding, you would want to find out everything you can about investors – and this is where Hunter Walk’s blog post comes in very handy!

10 Can’t Miss Productivity Apps Released in 2013: If your New Year’s resolution included getting more productive and things done in 2014 – you might want to read this list of apps compiled by Danny Schreiber from Zapier. But unlike other similar lists you’ll find online, you will not find the typical todo list apps here. Instead you’ll probably discover some apps you haven’t come across yet.

Image courtesy of Zapier

Did we miss something? Let us know by commenting below and have a great weekend!